Hi my cat was diagnosed in May this year and I thought she was doing fairly well until yesterday ,after a glucose curve test her insulin has been upped and the vet says I must not now let her free graze throughout the day ( which she has been doing )because of her weight ,she's 5.9 kilos , she has been around this weight for a few months now .My worry is if I don't leave her any food down to free graze on what will she do if she has a hypo ( I think thats what it's called )I don't know what to do I think I was in a bit of shock when I picked her up ,I'm more worried than ever now , she's on Caninsulin and we are in the UK ,I don't home test , any support would be deeply appreciated, thanks x
overweight puss
- Thread starter munchkin
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Just-As-Appy
Member Since 2010
Is there any particular reason that you are not home testing? It makes me quite nervous to have insulin raised due to a bg test at the vet. The bg is usually elevated at the vet due to stress and increasing the insulin might lead to problems, like hypo.
What type of food are you leaving out during the day for her to graze? Do you have a timed feeder or could you get one? This would allow you to feed her when the insulin is dropping her the hardest, and then not feed on the rising part of her cycle. Evening out the drop and rise by timing of food will help her feel better. By calculating the calories needed for her ideal weight, you could moderate her food intake and SLOWLY have her lose weight. Rapid weight loss is not desireable for a cat.
Caninsulin is a difficult insulin to work with, but not impossible. If your vet is not willing to prescribe one of the longer acting insulins, then we just have to work with it. Home testing is really the answer though. It puts you in much better control with information about how the insulin is acting in your cat. and the best part is that it saves you $$$ because you don't have to take her to the vet just for a glucose test.
What type of food are you leaving out during the day for her to graze? Do you have a timed feeder or could you get one? This would allow you to feed her when the insulin is dropping her the hardest, and then not feed on the rising part of her cycle. Evening out the drop and rise by timing of food will help her feel better. By calculating the calories needed for her ideal weight, you could moderate her food intake and SLOWLY have her lose weight. Rapid weight loss is not desireable for a cat.
Caninsulin is a difficult insulin to work with, but not impossible. If your vet is not willing to prescribe one of the longer acting insulins, then we just have to work with it. Home testing is really the answer though. It puts you in much better control with information about how the insulin is acting in your cat. and the best part is that it saves you $$$ because you don't have to take her to the vet just for a glucose test.
Elizabeth and Bertie
Member Since 2010
Hello and Welcome!
I'm from the UK too (Surrey).
Well done for finding this site. You've come to a great place for advice and support. :smile:
OK... Just thinking this through.... Now if your vet has decided to increase the insulin dose then s/he will have done that because the blood glucose numbers obtained during the curve were too high. IF those numbers were accurate (and numbers at the vets aren't always accurate because the stress of the vet visit can increase the cat's blood glucose levels) then your cat is 'unregulated' (not being kept in a sufficiently low blood glucose range).
Unregulated cats are generally always hungry. That is because their bodies can't utilise the food they are eating. In my view it is not humane to withhold food from a hungry cat. In the early days my cat Bertie was always hungry. But as his blood glucose came into a better range his ravenous hunger diminished, and he lost a bit of weight too (although he has always been a bit of chunky chap!)
Another reason to keep food available is - as you quite rightly say - because of the risk of hypo. Your cat's dose has just been increased and you don't yet know how her body will respond to the increase, so it is advisable to have food out for her, especially for when you are not there.
Also, Caninsulin can produce some steep drops in blood glucose as it starts to work. When my cat was on Caninsulin I made sure he had a small snack about 3 hours after his insulin shot to slow down that drop. So, I think that's 3 reasons to have food available for your cat!
I've always free-fed my cats, including my diabetic. But a timed feeder could help too.
I know how hard it is to go against the advice of your vet. We've all been there. But if I'd taken the advice of the vet who diagnosed Bertie then he wouldn't be alive now: The vet recommended euthanasia!!! :shock: (So I got another vet...) Even with the vet I have now there are some differences of opinion. But ultimately you have to do what YOU think is best for your cat.
What dose of Caninsulin is your cat on?
And what are you feeding her?
Does she have any other health issues?
Would you be willing to learn to test her blood glucose at home? Please say 'yes', even if it's a very tentative yes (because you are probably nervous at the prospect. We were all nervous at first.) But we can help you learn how to test, and it would give you SO much more understanding and control over your cat's diabetes...
Whereabouts in the UK are you?
Best wishes,
Elizabeth
PS. If you'd like to know more about how I've managed Bertie's diabetes do have a little look at his new blog in my sig line below. There are some useful links on the blog too, but it is a 'work in progress'...
I'm from the UK too (Surrey).
Well done for finding this site. You've come to a great place for advice and support. :smile:
OK... Just thinking this through.... Now if your vet has decided to increase the insulin dose then s/he will have done that because the blood glucose numbers obtained during the curve were too high. IF those numbers were accurate (and numbers at the vets aren't always accurate because the stress of the vet visit can increase the cat's blood glucose levels) then your cat is 'unregulated' (not being kept in a sufficiently low blood glucose range).
Unregulated cats are generally always hungry. That is because their bodies can't utilise the food they are eating. In my view it is not humane to withhold food from a hungry cat. In the early days my cat Bertie was always hungry. But as his blood glucose came into a better range his ravenous hunger diminished, and he lost a bit of weight too (although he has always been a bit of chunky chap!)
Another reason to keep food available is - as you quite rightly say - because of the risk of hypo. Your cat's dose has just been increased and you don't yet know how her body will respond to the increase, so it is advisable to have food out for her, especially for when you are not there.
Also, Caninsulin can produce some steep drops in blood glucose as it starts to work. When my cat was on Caninsulin I made sure he had a small snack about 3 hours after his insulin shot to slow down that drop. So, I think that's 3 reasons to have food available for your cat!
I've always free-fed my cats, including my diabetic. But a timed feeder could help too.
I know how hard it is to go against the advice of your vet. We've all been there. But if I'd taken the advice of the vet who diagnosed Bertie then he wouldn't be alive now: The vet recommended euthanasia!!! :shock: (So I got another vet...) Even with the vet I have now there are some differences of opinion. But ultimately you have to do what YOU think is best for your cat.
What dose of Caninsulin is your cat on?
And what are you feeding her?
Does she have any other health issues?
Would you be willing to learn to test her blood glucose at home? Please say 'yes', even if it's a very tentative yes (because you are probably nervous at the prospect. We were all nervous at first.) But we can help you learn how to test, and it would give you SO much more understanding and control over your cat's diabetes...
Whereabouts in the UK are you?
Best wishes,
Elizabeth
PS. If you'd like to know more about how I've managed Bertie's diabetes do have a little look at his new blog in my sig line below. There are some useful links on the blog too, but it is a 'work in progress'...
Hi I'm from Stoke on Trent , thanks for the reply ,Molly's on 5 units twice a day , her last count was 24 , she had previously been around 12 , so it's really gone up , I am giving her little snacks throughout the day ,rather than no food at all ,I do want to home test ,although I am very nervous about it . I can't leave her without food all day no matter what the vet says ,my gut feeling on that is don't do it ! She seems ok .I don't see why the vet only wants to do 1 blood sugar test on her next Thursday because ( and I know very little ) how can she base how much insulin she will need on that 1 test alone ? thank you I will let you know how she goes on :-|
Dyana
Member Since 2009
Vets are not used to people wanting to be so active in the treatment of their cat's diabetes, and so don't see a lot of people who want to home test their pets. We all encourage it, because we want to keep your cat as safe as possible.
Home testing is a little scary (okay, maybe a lot scary) at first, but we all learned to do it. Once you learn how, and you start to give special treats to your cat for that testing (whether successful, or not), your cat will come to you to be tested.
Testing once a week at the vets, not only could have the numbers elevated just because of the stress at being taken in a car to the vet, but being at the vet, but the cat could also be having higher numbers at that time just because of some lower BG number he had previously.
Please get a glucometer and test strips, and we will help you learn to keep your cat safe by home testing.
Home testing is a little scary (okay, maybe a lot scary) at first, but we all learned to do it. Once you learn how, and you start to give special treats to your cat for that testing (whether successful, or not), your cat will come to you to be tested.
Testing once a week at the vets, not only could have the numbers elevated just because of the stress at being taken in a car to the vet, but being at the vet, but the cat could also be having higher numbers at that time just because of some lower BG number he had previously.
Please get a glucometer and test strips, and we will help you learn to keep your cat safe by home testing.
Elizabeth and Bertie
Member Since 2010
Hello again,
Oh, poor you. If I could I'd make you a nice cup of tea; but Stoke On Trent is a little far from me so I'll have to make do with sending you a little cyber-cuppa.
(There ya go... ;-) )
Hmmm..... So Molly's BG (blood sugar/glucose) was around 12 and now around 24 so vet has upped dose to 5 units of Caninsulin twice a day...? And this was based on a curve?
There are numerous reasons why the BG levels could be raised. Infection of some kind is a common one. (Does Molly have any sign of that? Any dental issues?) Or has her diet changed in any way? (The addition of higher carbohydrate food would almost certainly elevate BG levels.) And in my cat his numbers go up if he is constipated or has a fur ball he needs to get rid of! But if none of these things seem to apply there is another possibility that comes to mind...and that is something called 'rebound'...
If a cat receives too much insulin and the BG drops either too low or too fast then the body can respond to this potential emergency by raising the BG levels itself (the liver releases glucose to raise the BG, and also releases glucagon to keep the BG levels raised). So, a BG curve done on a 'rebound' day would be pretty high and flat (with reduced response to insulin). Do you have any other numbers from that curve?
And what dose has Molly been on up until now (before increase to 5 units)?
Oh, and do tell us your name (that is, unless you're OK with being called 'Munchkin' ;-) )
Oh, poor you. If I could I'd make you a nice cup of tea; but Stoke On Trent is a little far from me so I'll have to make do with sending you a little cyber-cuppa.
(There ya go... ;-) )Hmmm..... So Molly's BG (blood sugar/glucose) was around 12 and now around 24 so vet has upped dose to 5 units of Caninsulin twice a day...? And this was based on a curve?
There are numerous reasons why the BG levels could be raised. Infection of some kind is a common one. (Does Molly have any sign of that? Any dental issues?) Or has her diet changed in any way? (The addition of higher carbohydrate food would almost certainly elevate BG levels.) And in my cat his numbers go up if he is constipated or has a fur ball he needs to get rid of! But if none of these things seem to apply there is another possibility that comes to mind...and that is something called 'rebound'...
If a cat receives too much insulin and the BG drops either too low or too fast then the body can respond to this potential emergency by raising the BG levels itself (the liver releases glucose to raise the BG, and also releases glucagon to keep the BG levels raised). So, a BG curve done on a 'rebound' day would be pretty high and flat (with reduced response to insulin). Do you have any other numbers from that curve?
And what dose has Molly been on up until now (before increase to 5 units)?
Oh, and do tell us your name (that is, unless you're OK with being called 'Munchkin' ;-) )
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